Specialty vendors offer mall shoppers variety

Temporary kiosks a good way for businesses to test the market


Absolutely Nuts

Anika Hair Tools

Blankets and More

Calendar Club

Crystal Odyssey

Deep Sea Cosmetics

Fragrance for All

Gold Buyers at the Mall

Greta’s Garden Flags

Hensley’s Airbrush

Hickory Farms

Leather Exchange

Portrait Masters

S & S Sports

S & S Engraving

Solar Connection

Toy World

Gift Cards

Frickers

Oasis at Center City Salon & Day Spa

Texas Roadhouse

SPRINGFIELD — Small business owners John and Joanna Robertson operate a mobile snack concession at regional festivals, fairs and trade shows throughout the year.

But every November, the Springfield couple parks their small business, Absolutely Nuts, in the center of the Upper Valley Mall.

Absolutely Nuts is among 20 specialty holiday retailers that have taken up temporary residence at the mall during the holiday season. The business offers take-home snacks as well as special order gifts for individuals and businesses. They started the business shortly before they married.

“This is our 11th Christmas here, ” Joanna Robertson said on Monday. “ Some businesses, like Leather Exchange and us, are here every year. Others are new.”

The mall kiosk will be their last venue until the spring festival and trade show season starts, Robertson said.

A new vendor, Blankets and More, will remain in the mall until warm weather arrives and shoppers are more interested in shorts than blankets, owner Ash Ibrhim, said. The India-based store offers specialty blankets as well as sheets and other bedding.

The mall is happy to have the shops, even if it’s for a short time, said mall manager Brenda LaBonte.

“It just gives our shoppers more options,” she said.

It also gives businesses a chance to test the waters before investing in a storefront location, said Steve Sahle, a longtime Springfield business owner who is trying out his Buckeye fan kiosk “S & S Sports” at the mall this month.

Sahle is the owner of Rolfes Jewelers, downtown, and has a permanent kiosk “S & S Engraving” at the mall.

“I’ve had success (with S & S Sports) at a few festivals this year, and some people asked me if I would be at the mall at Christmas so they could buy gifts,” he said. “The Upper Valley Mall is a good place to test the market.”

John Robertson could locate Absolute Nuts from a number of larger malls in the area during Christmas, but chooses to stay close to home.

“This mall comes alive at Christmas. We have a very high repeat customer base here,” John Robertson said. “They watched us get married, they watched us have kids, and they’ve watched us grow as a family. “They’re not just our customers, they’re our friends.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0347 or kmori@coxohio.com.

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